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Monthly Archives: July 2016

When a family gets together at the beach you can expect the numbers to grow as the years pass. This year was 27. LaDonna started this tradition and she would be proud to know her efforts were not in vain. She loved the beach and all the sun and sand and salt that went with it.

As we all checked into our large duplex with eight bedrooms and sleeping for 25, we scrambled to find the right room for each group. A couple of us found sleeping buddies and that made for late night talks and giggles.

We divided the meals so no one had to be responsible for them all. Which was good since we made overnight blueberry oatmeal for 20 at a time and scrambled eggs or omelets using about 2 dozen eggs each morning.

You never knew who was in the kitchen making those frying pan sounds until you got there! Lots of thanks to a new member of our group, Rebecca, who had our two coffee pots ready to turn on after getting them ready the night before!

We did go out a few times to eat, but with a group this size, there aren’t tables big enough. Ha! Of course we broke up into smaller groups from time to time so we could visit more easily. And the evenings in the beach chairs watching the sun set allowing our feet to tip into the salty water was mesmerizing .

Between jogs and walks on the beach, the townhouse pool was a cool distraction. And when you got cool enough you could get into the hot tub!

There were movies and games and books to read. Everyone brings the books they have read throughout the year so if you chose a book to read and didn’t have time to finish, you could take it home with you.

As the week progressed, our dessert cravings were satisfied when Lisa made brownies and Jessica and Alexis fixed peach cobbler. And when I found a recipe for Keylime pie in a drawer in the kitchen, I had to make it as well! Here’s the recipe…

Last summer when I went to my son-in-laws’ family reunion, I was never so surprised to see pineapple sandwiches. The white bread is cut to match the pineapple rings, and of course, since it’s the South, you spread mayonnaise or salad dressing on the bread. Don’t knock it till you try it because I was delightfully surprised.

Then on a trip to England several years ago my husband and I found in all the travel stops what we thought was pimento cheese. But it was without the pimento, just shredded cheese and mayonnaise mixed, then topped with thinly sliced tomatoes and sometimes a little lettuce. I was keeping foster children at the time and when I made it for them, they loved it. A lot of kids don’t like pimento so this is perfect. I called it an English cheese sandwich.

Now this next sandwich is perfect if you have ADHD like I do. When the tomatoes start growing and you don’t want to wait any longer for them to turn red, just pull them, slice them thin and lightly roll them in flour with a little salt. Fry and drain. Use a good bread so it won’t fall apart while you’re eating it. Add bacon and lettuce. A fried green tomato sandwich! I love this one too.

They aren’t called the Smoky Mountains for nothing ! This morning as we drank our strong dark coffee on the cabin porch we watched the fog disappear as the sun started breaking through the clouds. Aww, cabin life.

When I was going to Asbury College, now known as Asbury University, located about twenty minutes south of Lexington, Kentucky, I had the pleasure of meeting two of the sweetest girls I think I’d ever met. They were sisters and “very” southern. They had that heavy southern drawl and loved their sweet tea! Bobbie Brooks and Evan Picone clothes were in fashion and they wore a lot of them. Everyone thought they for sure came from money since these styles were on the expensive side, especially the Evan Picone. As time went by I had the opportunity of meeting their mother. What a charming southern woman she was. After one meeting with her you knew how her daughters possessed the delightful gentle southern charm they had. Her voice was soft and her stature short, but she was far more than the country chicken farm she lived on. Remember the elite clothes her daughters, Barbara Brooks Johnson and Evelyn Brooks Barnard wore? Well, Mrs. Irene Brooks would make them herself. She studied what was in style and then came up with almost an identical copy. I learned from her to add a touch of class when setting the table. Using silver and lace with your ordinary flat wear was okay. The important thing was to use your good things and enjoy them. She catered weddings and made delicious cakes and punch. She was the first person I ever saw put real fruit in ice rings and use them in her punch bowls. Her rosebud mints are now known world wide since both her daughters married men that served in the military, and they shared her recipe everywhere they lived. It’s now been passed down to their children. She was always willing to teach anyone who wanted to learn how to makes these delicate sweet treats that have adorned many wedding tables, including my daughter’s and step-granddaughter’s.

I had to add Mrs. Brooks pound cake. I can’t ever remember going to her house or her daughters when she lived with them that I didn’t have a piece or two of her delicious cake with my coffee in the mornings. But it’s not just for mornings! I’ve had it for a snack and for an evening dessert with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Her family likes it with chocolate icing, but as for me, just give me a fork and I’ll eat it plain.